Washington, D.C., is on its way to becoming a "crime-free zone" after the federal government surged law enforcement into the city, according to President Donald Trump.
"Carjacking in DC is down 87%," he posted on Truth Social late Friday night. "ALL other categories of crime are likewise down massively since I got involved. DC will soon be a CRIME FREE ZONE, in only 14 days, far faster than scheduled."
The post came after D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser acknowledged Wednesday that crime had fallen since Trump ordered the 30-day federal takeover, crediting the surge with sharp declines in major offenses, NBC News reported.
She said carjackings, which she called the most troubling crime of 2023, were down 87% compared with the same period last year, while overall crime had fallen 15%.
"We know that when carjackings go down, when use of guns goes down, when homicide or robbery goes down, neighborhoods feel safer and are safer, so this surge has been important to us," Bowser said. She added that she has been in direct contact with Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.
However, Bowser also strongly objected to some aspects of the operation, particularly the deployment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and National Guard units.
"What we know is not working is a break in trust between police and community, especially with new federal partners in our community," she said. "We know having masked ICE agents in the community has not worked, and National Guards from other states have not been an efficient use of those resources."
Her remarks drew sharp criticism from D.C. Council members, who accused her of downplaying the risks of federal intervention.
"We should not, as the District of Columbia, be giving people the impression that this is a good thing, that we are OK with it, that it is helping the city. It is not doing any of those things," Council member Robert White Jr. said in a video on X. "I am not OK with this. The average resident is not OK with this. D.C. residents, D.C. voters, are not OK with this."
Bowser said she met with Trump on Wednesday but declined to provide details, describing the conversation as a courtesy. She signaled that once the surge ends, she wants local control restored and federal officers to continue working in coordination with city police on major cases.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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